Gig review: THE ANSWER/Tracer – Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton, 18 October 2013

The Answer

Tonight’s gig started with confusion with a late venue change meaning there were a large number of rock fans wandering around Wolverhampton trying to find the Slade Rooms But the evening ended with a definite feeling that The Answer now have the album that will (or should) give them the step up the ladder and open them up to the rock masses. They are a hard hitting rock band with a great 70′s rock feel akin to Led Zep and fronted by the charismatic Cormac who has one of those voices that just gets you in a good way.

Anyway, tonight kicks off with a great set from Cage The Gods who have been touring relentlessly for the past few years selling their solid 80 based rock to all that will listen. They are musically very tight and playing all self penned songs show they know what they are doing.

Fronted by vocalist Peter Comerford, who also plays rhythm guitar to Jam, a guitarist who isn’t scared of showing his skills by ripping out riff after riff and giving the music a great edge.

A solid backline is taken care of by Colin Jones (drums) and Mitch Witham (bass) which gives them overall tight sound. Well worth a listen and I would really like to hear a longer set from them.

Tracer

Tracer by now need no introduction and by the number of T-shirts in the crowd have really got themselves out there and are getting a large amount of fans.

Still touring their latest album ‘El Pistolero’ these Aussies are definitely going to be on the bigger stages soon in their own right. Having finally found and stuck with bass player ‘Jett’ this trio (Michael Brown, Guitar/Vocals and Dre Wise, Drums) are turning out great tracks like ‘El Pistolero’, ‘Dead Garden’ and ‘Handman’ which fit perfectly well with their older tracks like ‘Devil Ride’ and ‘Too Much’.  I was so wishing they would play ‘Wreaking Ball’ this tour but, alas,  no, maybe it will be in the full set later in the year at HRH.

The Answer

Now to the headliners for the evening, I remember back in 2006 hearing ‘Come Follow Me’ on the radio for the first time and thinking WOW these guys are brilliant I must go and see them, so I did and couldn’t get over the fact of how good they sound onstage. The Answer‘s albums sound good but nowhere near as dynamic and energetic as their live performance. But like a lot of people I’m left thinking why they haven’t properly hit the big time yet!

They have great material/image and style and ooze talent to back all this up. Many hoped they would break big after the support slot to AC/DC back in 2008/09 but with a delay before there next album they seemed to have missed the crest. Now with the release of their fourth album ‘New Horizon’ – and in my ears the best to date – with its style of pure gutsy rock is this the one that makes them?

The Answer

Having already seen the two opening shows of the tour over in Ireland and seen the crowd reaction to the new material it would certainly seem that it could do. Kicking off with ‘New
Horizon’ Cormac’s vocals are on form as are the rest of the band eager to entertain the crowd and showcase their new stuff as well as a great mix of their classics with a few of the rarer ones like ‘Demon Eyes’ thrown in.

The Answer

This is one of most dynamic setlists from them for the past few years and really goes down well with the crowd. Cormac, always one to connect to the fans goes for a wee walk in the crowd during the final song of the night ‘Preachin’ and performs his own sermon to the great appreciation of the crowd. Again it was nice to see all the bands hanging around to meet the fans.

All three bands are also on the lineup for this year’s Hard Rock Hell if you want to catch them again or for the first time.

The Answer

Setlist (The Answer): New Horizon, Waste You Tears, Scream A Louder Love, Speak Now, Under The Sky,Concrete, Nowhere Freeway, Leave With Nothing, Memphis Water, Spectacular, Demon Eyes, Comfort Zone, On & On, Preachin

Review and photos by Simon Dunkerley

 


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